Might sound mad but the 1.6 petrol fiesta is surprisingly frugal ours hasnt dropped below 40mpg since we got it on a run returns 50mpg +. 1.4 petrol strugles to match it on economy we had a test drive and found it lacking a bit of poke and refinement. 1.4 and 1.6 diesel ive had not experience of but generally diesels dont like short journeys. factor in what sort of journeys youl be doing and go for the 1.6 petrol or derv accordingly.

Pain in the !Removed! job but doable. jack up rear of car put axle stands on chassis. Support rear beam on a trolley jack. Remove the big bolts that run through each bush. Lower rear beam. This will expose the remains of your bushes. drill burn hammer scream swear do what ever you can to get the rubber out of the shell so that you can get a hack saw blade through. Now carefully cut the steel shell. Resume swearing and hitting with hammer to remove shell. Grease up axle and pop some polly bushes in. put it all back together again. Cup of tea and a slice of cake and bandage the remains of your hands :)

If service history is complete the main thing is to go over it looking for worn suspension and brakes. I tend to ignore mileage up to a point and concentrate on the condition of the car. Modern engines when serviced properly on time will do alot more than that old 100k and scrap it that people still cling to from yesteryear. have a good climb allover it and take a test drive.